Teen Driving Archives - MamaBear App

May 19, 2015May 19, 2015

Distracted Driving Causes More Teen Accidents Than Ever Known

An unprecedented study of teen driving shows the connection between distracted driving and teen crashes is stronger than originally thought.

The study found that police estimates of crash statistics were way off. Six out of ten moderate-to-severe teen crashes are caused by distracted driving — four times as many as original estimates claimed based on police reports.

About the Study

AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety and Lytx (a company that has collected data using in-vehicle event recorders for a decade) compiled data to create a 71-page report that shows we underestimated the dangers of distracted teen driving.

Researchers analyzed the six seconds leading up to a crash in nearly 1,691 videos of crashes involving drivers ages 16-19 and found that distraction was a factor in 58% of crashes.

Distraction played a role in 89% of road-departure crashes and 76% of rear-end crashes.

The Main Distractions

Passengers are the most dangerous distraction for teens. According to the report, 15% of crashes were caused when the driver was interacting with one or more passengers.

Digital distractions were a close second. Twelve percent of crashes were caused due to cell phone use. Cell phone use included calling, texting, and other uses (app usage, adjusting music, etc.)

Digital distractions caused teens to take their eyes off the road for “an average of 4.1 of the final six seconds leading up to the crash,” the study reported. It also limited reaction time. In rear-end crashes, teen drivers using cell phones were more likely to crash without steering away or braking.

Ordinary distractions are just as dangerous. Parents may focus on teaching their teens to put their phones away while driving, but they need to remind them about ordinary distractions they may underestimate. A surprising percentage of crashes were caused by common distractions.

10% — looking at something in the vehicle
9% — looking at something outside the vehicle
8% — singing/moving to music
6% — grooming
6% — reaching for an object

What Parents Can Do

Create a Safe Driving Contract — Use a safe driving contract to set boundaries and expectations for your teen’s driving. AAA offers a free PDF agreement for parents that outlines both rules and consequences of driving.

Limiting the Number of Passengers — Interacting with passengers was the number one cause of accidents for distracted teen drivers. Limit the number of passengers that your teen can have in the vehicle and let them work their way up to having more passengers as they get more driving experience.

Teach Your Kids About #X — Remind your teens that they don’t need to respond to text conversations while they are driving. They should use a tactic from the “It Can Wait” campaign and simply text #X before getting behind the wheel — which is a way to pause the conversation until they are off the road.

Don’t Contribute to Your Child’s Distracted Driving — Parents who expect their children to answer their phone at all times could be increasing the amount of distracted driving their teens are involved in. All but one teenage driving demographic surveyed by APA said that parents were the number one contact they talked to while driving.

Related: Parents Are Most Distracting to Teen Drivers

Set a Good Example — If you frequently engage in distracted driving in front of your teen, they will begin to see that as a normal driving habit. So, practice the same safe driving habits you would like your teen to exhibit.

Monitor Their Speed — You can’t be on the road with your teen every time they drive, but you can be aware of their activity on the road.

With MamaBear, The Ultimate Parenting App™, parents can receive alerts regarding where their teen is driving and how fast they are going. The free app, available for iPhones and Androids, is a way for you to give independence to your teen driver while staying connected to their driving habits and encouraging safe driving practices.

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September 19, 2014September 19, 2014

Parents Are Most Distracting to Teen Drivers

A whopping 86% of high school juniors and seniors admit to using their cell phones while driving, according to a statistic presented by American Psychological Association.

That is dangerous data when paired with another statistic. Twenty-six percent of the nation’s car accidents were caused by the use of cell phones, per the National Safety Council’s annual injury and fatality report.

With so many teens using their phones while driving, and a high correlation between accidents and distracted driving, instilling safe driving habits in teens is becoming increasingly important. That starts with parents — because they could be the root of the problem.

In a recent presentation “Is That Mom on the Phone? — Teen Drivers and Distraction,” the American Psychological Association explains that parents may contribute to the amount of distracted driving their kids do.

APA reviewed current data on the topic and conducted research of their own by surveying 395 teens, and found that teens often use their phone while driving because of influence by their parents.

Parents Often Set Poor Examples by Driving, Talking, and Texting

Teens aren’t the only drivers using phones while driving. Adults, including parents, frequently engage in distracted driving.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention released data that 69% of US drivers reported they had talked on their phone while driving within 30 days of being surveyed.

With examples of distracted driving all around them, teens tend to increasingly replicate the habit the longer they drive. Thirty-four percent of drivers ages 15-17 said they didn’t use a cell phone while driving. While only 10% of 18-year-olds said they didn’t use their phone while driving.

When teens see so many examples of distracted driving, they begin to believe it is common. Parents need to reinforce that distracted driving is dangerous by setting an example and never driving while texting or talking.

Parents Pressure Their Teens to Answer Their Calls

Parents often expect their teens to answer their calls or respond to their texts right away. This pressures teens into thinking that they always need to answer, even if they are driving.

All but one teenage driving demographic surveyed by APA said that parents were the number one contact they talked to while driving.

Teens talk to their parents more often than they talk to their friends while driving. Fifty percent of 18-year-olds said their phone time was spent talking primarily to parents.

Related: Monitor Teen Driving with the MamaBear Driving Monitor App

Parents Can Help Decrease Distractive Driving Time

Successfully teaching teens how to incorporate safe driving practices starts with the parents. A few ways parents can help instill safe driving habits in their teen include the following.

Be a good role model. Don’t talk or text while you are driving.
Ask your kids if they are driving. Within the first 30 seconds of a phone call with your teen, ask them if they are driving. If they are, tell them to pull over and call you back.
Put the phone in the back seat. Teach your kids to put the phone in the back seat while driving. (Even better, parents can practice this themselves.)
Use a monitoring application. Programs and apps can help prevent distracted driving. MamaBear Family Safety App uses GPS so parents can connect with their kids without making phone calls (and also monitor car speeds). Other apps that disable phones while vehicles are in motion are also available.
Understand that kids might miss your call when they are driving. Don’t repeatedly call if your teen doesn’t answer right away. Give them time to pull over and make a call.

Make it easier to connect with your teen and encourage them to be a safe driver with the MamaBear Family Safety App (available for iPhone and Andriod).

December 23, 2013April 28, 2014

Monitor Teen Driving with the MamaBear Driving Monitor App

According to the California DMV, “the greatest risk of traffic crashes is among teenage drivers. Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers across the United States.” The tragic death of Fast and Furious star Paul Walker, who lost his life November 30th in a fiery car crash believed to be caused by high-speed driving, has put driving safety in the spotlight. While speeding-related car crashes can happen to any person at any age, teens are perhaps the most at-risk group for car crashes and car deaths.

Just as you give children a world of freedom when you hand them their first smartphone, their world expands even more when you give them the keys to a car. Providing this kind of independence is a proud parenting moment – but is also likely the scariest.

5 Benefits of Using MamaBear to Monitor Teen Driving

We love it when we receive appreciation for providing a simple solution that allows parents to monitor teen habits and patterns. Teen driving is just one of many reasons parents consider device monitoring. We’ve compiled some of the top reasons families use the MamaBear app. In particular, here’s a short list of the benefits MamaBear families observe when using the app to monitor teen driving.

5. We’re worried

Parents are almost universally worried when our kids first take to the roads. We’re worried about their safety but also excited about the added freedom and responsibility that driving means. More than a few of us use the passenger seat floorboard as imaginary brakes while in the car with our kids, but realize we can’t always be there to pretend to slow down. MamaBear allows parents to monitor teen driving speed from anywhere, making the driving experience easier for both parents and teens.

4. It’s a Conversation Starter

Having information about your kid’s driving speed and whereabouts allows you to have important safety conversations. Using relevant situations about driving too fast can help you lay out the consequences of speeding – and we’re talking about the consequence of seriously hurting someone else or themselves. In addition, knowing where they visited can support discussions about dangerous destinations.

3. Eliminate Side Trips and Unapproved Trips

The GPS monitoring and location alert features of the MamaBear app helps parents monitor teen driving in ways we didn’t expect. Parents get alerts if the child goes to an un-approved location or leaves an approved location outside of the agreed upon schedule. Combined with speed alerts and GPS tracking features, this has helped quite a few MamaBear families know when the kids are taking an unauthorized spin.

2. The Kids Drive More Responsibly

When our kids know we care enough to monitor, they tend to behave a little better. We’ve found that kids drive quite a bit slower when they drive with a monitoring app on board. With the MamaBear app, teens know their parents will get an alert if they exceed a set speed. By combining speed alerts with GPS mapping, kids are typically more cautious behind the wheel.

1. We’re There in an Emergency.

MamaBear makes sure our kids can communicate quickly in the wake of an emergency. Even something as simple as a flat tire can be scary to a new driver. When there’s a fender bender, a flat or a break down, the whole family will be happy for the easy, one button communication MamaBear provides.

If you’re nervous about your teen driving, let the MamaBear app ease your worries.

Download the app for Android phones here.

Download the app for Iphones here.

Tag: Teen Driving